Vatican’s UN envoy recommends family-based approach to fighting drug use
October 07, 2016
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent observer at UN headquarters in New York, reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to drug use in an October 6 discussion of that topic.
“The production and trafficking of illicit drugs obeys the law of supply and demand: drug trafficking exists because there is a lucrative market created by individuals addicted to illicit drugs,” the archbishop said.
Archbishop Auza reminded the UN that the Holy See has opposed the legalization of recreational drugs, since the use of such drugs is destructive of human dignity. He quoted the words of Pope Francis, in a 2014 address: “The fight against drugs cannot be won with drugs.”
The archbishop remarked that the destructive consequences of drug addiction affect entire families, not just individual users. For that reason, he recommended “emphasis on the importance of the family as the cornerstone of prevention, treatment, rehabilition, reintegration, and health strategies.”
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